A fantasy novel featuring the myths and legends of Witney has proved a surprise hit for its first-time author.

Barber Kelly Barker, who works at Lee David barber shop in Witney and from home, released her debut novel in September.

The Inner Temple, which is available in bookshops and online, is about a writer who is also a barber who unknowingly creates characters into existence through her story telling.

Among others, it incorporates the legend of the Mistletoe Bride, which took place at Minster Lovell.

Ms Barker explained: "On her wedding day, she decided to play a game of hide-and-seek, and hid in an old oak chest. When the lid closed, it locked from the outside.

"Her husband and wedding guests gave up the search for her after several days. Years later, her skeletal remains were found, still wrapped in her white gown."

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Ms Barker, 36, who was born in Oxford and moved to Witney 10 years ago, said: "The idea for my book comes from my love of books. I had always wanted to write my own book but having dyslexia meant that I had little confidence to do so.

"I suppose I got to an age where I no longer cared what people thought and wrote for myself."

She has had many authors in her barber's chair over the years, and has been inspired by all of them.

Ms Barker said: "Daydreaming has always fascinated me. Why do we do it? Sleep deprivation also fascinates me. Experiencing both made me realise that the two were connected."

Ms Barker said she was advised by a therapist to write about her nightmares and daydreams.

"My book is a combination of what keeps me awake at night and the world I choose to live in. Sleep-deprived Zoe lives in her own imagination, struggling between home and work life as a barber, finding it easier each day to slip into a world that doesn't exist.

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"Hell bent on completing the story she is writing to right a wrong, she unknowingly creates a storyline so powerful, it gives the main character - a vampire queen - the means to escape off the pages and into the real world. However, Zoe can't determine what's real or what her mind has conjured." 

She added: "My protagonist has real life issues which I believe readers will relate to. Overall, I have taken everything I love about books and created my own."

An Evening with Kelly Barker - Author of 'The Inner Temple' takes place at Witney Waterstone's on Friday October 28, 18:30 - 21:00. The sequel, Even the Gods Fear It, will be released February 28.

 

 

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This story was written by Miranda Norris, she joined the team in 2021 and covers news across Oxfordshire as well as news from Witney.

Get in touch with her by emailing: Miranda.Norris@newsquest.co.uk. Or find her on Twitter: @Mirandajnorris

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